John S. MacAllister

John S. MacAllister, 83, of Stoddard passed away on September 13th after being stricken ill at home. He left us while listening to his favorite songs, My Way and Come Fly with Me, by Frank Sinatra. John was the first of four sons of Dr. John D. and Shirley Beth (Stone) MacAllister. He was born in 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio and then lived in Elgin, Texas while his father served in the Army Air Corps. The family moved to Keene in 1946 where John attended school. John graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1962 with a degree in Geology and proudly led the family on a number of explorations of local feldspar, gold, mica and garnet mines. After trying his hand at selling insurance and then teaching school in Fitzwilliam, John joined Markem Corporation where he was the head of various departments, including advertising, marketing and sales for many years. He then worked at Choice Industrial Solutions (formerly Perkins Bassett and Wright) until his retirement. John was a gifted athlete playing football and baseball for Keene High. He was a ski jumper on the UNH ski team, a scuba diver, a tennis player, and an outstanding golfer. He was Club Champion at Bretwood Golf Course eleven times, reached the finals of the New Hampshire State Amateur and won the NH Senior Amateur Championship. John was President of the NH Golf Association from 1997 to 1998 and also the New England Golf Association in 1997 and a member of the board of both organizations. He worked many golf tournaments as a rules official and taught the rules to Keene High golf teams and other youth, and adults. He was a co-founder of the Keene City Golf Championship. Although he loved to play, John experienced the greatest joy while caddying for his kids in their tournaments. John was a man of many talents and interests. He was a gifted artist, a wonderful storyteller, an expert skier, a pilot and Piper Cub restorer/owner, a fisherman, hunter, card player, sailor, a home renovator and, in his younger days, a farmer, a camper, a mechanic on his Model A Ford and stock (race) car builder. John loved giving rides in his Piper Cub to anyone who wanted to go, and thrilled his rider and observers on the ground, including on the top of Mount Monadnock, with loops, stalls and weightless arcs. He loved flying to Bretwood Golf Course and landing on the 18th fairway to have coffee and doughnuts with his great friends, Ellis Barrett and Arvo Johnson. John was an active participant in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and served as president of the local chapter some years back. He was also president of the Granite Lake Association and took his work at the boat ramp very seriously, protecting the lake he loved dearly from invasive marine species.

John is survived by his daughter Tamara and her husband Hugh Barrett of Surry, NH, his son Derek and wife Frances, of Nelson, and by three adored grandchildren, Natasha and Sam Drozin and Breck MacAllister. He is also survived by three brothers, Robert and his wife Elizabeth of Shrewsbury, MA, David of Nelson, NH, and James and his wife Eunice of Amherst, MA. He also leaves several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Joan (Stone) of 59 years in 2021 and a young son, John Scott, in 1967.

PupPup was placed next to his beloved JoJo and Johnny at the Mountain View Cemetery on September 22. A celebration of life will be planned for the Summer of 2023 at Granite Lake. Information will be shared at a later date.